tonight, israel's top target, the leader of hamas and the accused mastermind of the october 7th terror attack killed in gaza. israel saying this video shows yahya sinwar's final moments, throwing debris at a drone just before he is killed. his death confirmed by dna and dental records. what it could mean for

ceasefire talks and hamas' hostages. and just in, the last-minute reprieve in a texas death row case. a judge temporarily blocking the execution of man convicted on the now controversial diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome. also tonight, the election just 19 days out. kamala harris blitzing across battleground wisconsin on the heels of her combative interview with fox news. and donald trump asks about the january 6th attack at a town hall calling it, quote, a day of love. a scathing new report on the secret service; calling on the agency to bring in new outside leadership after the july shooting at a trump rally. the acting director responding exclusively here tonight. the investigation into the death of one direction star liam payne. new images inside his trashed hotel room. the 911 call moments before he fell, plus the first reaction from his former band mates. and the midnight moment when times square turns into one giant art gallery.

>> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening and welcome. the mid east preparing for what may come next after israel announced that it killed the mastermind of the october 7th hamas terror attacks that killed more than 1200 people. his death announced by the prime minister netanyahu on israeli television. officials in israel say yahya sinwar was killed during a heavy gun battle with israeli troops. the idf releasing this unverified footage that it claims shows sinwar's final moments. it is a landmark moment in the war in gaza and the latest hamas leader to be killed by israeli forces. but as some israelis took to the streets, it is unclear who will succeed sinwar and what it means for the remaining hostages held in gaza and the future of negotiations to free them. erin mclaughlin leads off our coverage tonight. >> reporter: tonight, new drone video shows

the moment just before israel says the leader of hamas, the architect of the october 7th terror attack was killed. in the footage released by the israeli military, the idf says yahya sinwar can be seen with his hand blown off, his face covered, throwing a stick in defiance. nbc news has not confirmed the video shows sinwar. today the images of sinwar's body laying in rubble surrounded by israeli troops sent shockwaves through the region. >> today, the mastermind of this day of sheer evil is no more. >> reporter: according to an israeli official, overnight there was a fierce battle in southern gaza. israeli troops initially had no idea sinwar was at the location. his body discovered today and later identified using dna tests and dental records. president biden called israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu from air force one. >> i told him that we were pleased with his actions, and further, that now's the time to move on. >> reporter: yahya

sinwar spent 23 years inside an israeli prison for killing fellow palestinians suspected of collaborating with israel. he was released in 2011. one of more than a thousand palestinian prisoners netanyahu exchanged for gilad shalit, an israeli soldier kidnapped and held in gaza for five years. it was an exchange that would later inform sinwar's decision to take 250 hostages to gaza on october 7th. many of them have since died. 101 remain. including 84-year-old oded lifshitz. kidnapped from a kibbutz near oz. his daughter is terrified it could spell more misery for the hostages. >> i believe there is no way to get the hostages back now. i hope that my intuition is a mistake. >> erin, i understand things are moving in realtime, of course, but is there some inclination as to who will now lead hamas, and if anything really changes? >> reporter: lester, it's unclear. experts say sinwar's brother is likely next in line and caution he

is just as hardline and brutal a leader as sinwar. lester? >> erin mclaughlin, thank you. there is breaking news from texas right now where a civil court judge has temporarily halted tonight's scheduled execution of robert roberson, whose story we have been reporting here on "nightly news." the state attorney general, however, is challenging the judge's decision as we speak, meaning the execution could possibly go forward this evening still. for 20 years, robert roberson's story has never changed. did you harm your daughter nikki? >> no, sir, i did not harm my daughter. >> but what has changed is the now controversial shaken baby syndrome diagnosis that convicted him of killing his 2-year-old daughter in 2002. you did nothing that led to her death? >> no, sir. >> roberson said he had rushed nikki to the hospital after she had fallen from her bed and he found her unconscious. doctors determined the little girl had bleeding behind her eyes and brain, which

was also swollen, three symptoms known in medicine as the triad. at the time, doctors believed that could mean just one thing, abuse. but roberson's current attorney insists nikki was misdiagnosed. >> there was this tragic death of a chronically ill child. >> in fact, nikki had been to the hospital more than 40 times in her short life, including two visits days before her death with a 104.5 degree fever, something that brian wharton, the detective who arrested roberson didn't know at the time. >> we were aware that she had been sick recently, but i don't think we ever understood how extensive that history was. >> wharton, now a minister, also didn't know that roberson had autism, explaining the lack of emotion that initially made the detectives suspicious. he wasn't diagnosed until 2018. he now believes

roberson is innocent and regularly visits him. wharton has been fighting to save his life. so has an army of others, including a bipartisan majority of the texas legislature. >> we're at a point here where the truth about robert is being avoided, and justice is not being served. >> tonight, minutes before the scheduled execution, a judge issued a temporary retraining order, delaying it so roberson can testify at a hearing on monday. the ag's office, however, is challenging that. i spoke with brian wharton just hours ago by zoom. roberson asked him to witness his final moments. it's a heavy burden. >> he's asked me to be present, and i owe that to him. it doesn't feel like a burden. and so i will. to be with him, to make sure he knows that he's not alone. >> how are you preparing for your own death? >> i'm at peace. i'm not ready to go, you know. i can tell people god has the last say. >> and again, the

court has temporarily blocked his execution. we'll of course continue to follow this story. we turn now to the race for the white house. with just 19 days until election day, vice president harris was in crucial wisconsin today facing new fallout after her heated interview with fox news. garrett haake has late details. >> reporter: tonight, vice president harris blitzing the badger state. >> it is good to be back in wisconsin. >> reporter: with multiple events in battleground wisconsin. >> this is going to be a tight race until the very end. >> reporter: taking aim at this comment overnight from former president trump, who was asked at a univision town hall about his actions surrounding the january 6th attack. trump glossing over the violence, calling it a, quote, day of love. >> that was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions, hundreds of thousands it could have been, the largest group i've ever spoken before. >> he called it a, quote, a day of love.

but it points out something that everyone here knows. the american people are exhausted with his gaslighting. >> reporter: meanwhile, there is new fallout over harris' combative interview with fox news. >> essentially -- >> may i please finish? may i finish responding. >> harris repeatedly casting former president trump as a danger. >> he has talked about going after people who are engaged in peaceful protests. he has talked about locking people up because they disagree with him. this is a democracy. >> reporter: the tried vice president tried to distance herself from president biden, but did not name any specifics about what she would have done differently in the last four years. >> nothing comes to mind that you will be do differently? >> let me be clear. my presidency will not be a continuation of joe biden's presidency. like every new president that comes in to office, i will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences and fresh and new ideas. >> reporter: and she

was pressed about her calls for change, despite being the incumbent vice president. >> your campaign slogan is a new way forward, and it's time to change the page. you've been vice president for three and a half years. so what are you turning the page from? >> first of all, turning the page from the last decade in which we've been burdened the kind of rhetoric coming from donald trump that has been designed and implemented to divide our country. >> reporter: trump running mate j.d. vance firing back today. >> 25 minutes of a person who couldn't answer a direct question. what are we turning the page on? she goes and talks about donald trump, who of course hasn't been in office for the past three and a half years. kamala harris has been. >> garrett, looking ahead now, both campaigns are also getting some pretty high profile last-minute help on the trail. tell us about it. >> reporter: that's right, lester, including from a couple of billionaires. elon musk on the trail in pennsylvania for

donald trump tonight. mark cuban here with harris in wisconsin today. and in a sign of just how close this race might ultimately be, both candidates will campaign in the same michigan county tomorrow just hours of each other in the same county. lester? >> all right, garrett haake, thank you. in another crucial swing state, north carolina in person early voting began today, all while in the western part of the state there is a push to help residents in the aftermath of hurricane helene. gabe gutierrez is there. >> reporter: in western north carolina -- >> this is our campground. this is where we live. >> reporter: the wall of water from this river obliterated not just suzanne garland's home and family business, it's also shattered her sense of normalcy. how tough have the last few weeks been? >> i feel bad, yeah. but everybody's pulled together. we've lost everything. you can't just sit and cry. you have to do something. >> reporter: today she did something. among the first to vote early. >> people deserve to be heard. and just because we're rural and we're not in the city, we're up in these hills and stuff, we'll find a way to vote.

>> reporter: north carolina a key battleground. democrats haven't won this state since 2008, but now view it as crucial on the road to the white house. we found in the aftermath of hurricane helene the election is essential on the road to recovery. >> we have to expand our polling places for people to have access. again, this is not a partisan issue. this is an american issue. >> reporter: today the raleigh suburbs saw long lines. while here in rural avery county, a rush to replace damaged polling locations. >> the flood like no other flood. >> reporter: barry jones showed us one, a church now turned into a donation distribution site. >> since this happened, i haven't watched any news at all. we were out of power. it's been like we're in the pioneer days. >> reporter: which is why for some here, politics may not be a priority. for others, like suzanne garland, being heard is. do you feel forgotten?

>> i think that this area is forgotten on a good day, much less in a disaster. we're americans. we need help. >> reporter: as the cleanup effort here continues, another challenge, absentee ballots. election officials say they're working with the postal service to try and redistribute them. lester? >> all right, gabe gutierrez tonight, thank you. now to our exclusive interview with the acting director of the secret service, responding to a highly critical report about the agency after the july assassination attempt on former president trump. here is kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: the high-risk mission of the secret service under new scrutiny. fallout over failures that led up to the attack on former president donald trump in butler, pennsylvania. today the independent review panel of law enforcement experts from both parties issued a 52-page report that finds deep flaws at the secret service and calls the agency bureaucratic, complacent, and static. acting director ronald rowe responding in an

exclusive interview. >> we've not been sitting back waiting for reports like this to come out. following the horrific events of july 13th, we've already started to make not only operational changes, but policy changes. >> reporter: they are recommending a leadership change. are you prepared for that? >> well, what i'm focused on right now is making sure that i'm advocating for the men and women of the secret service that are out there doing the mission. >> reporter: this busy campaign season remains a high threat environment with demands to secure so many prominent figures out on the trail, agents and resources are stretched thin. do you have a morale problem? >> we are asking them to do extraordinary things right now. i worry that my workforce is certainly demoralized by some of the things said about them. >> reporter: the trump campaign has repeatedly requested more resources. >> he is receiving the highest level of protection that is commiserate with the protection of the president of the united states. >> reporter: is he satisfied based on your interaction was him?

>> so i've had conversations with the former president. he is very happy with his detail. he's actually publicly stated that. >> reporter: the agency says it is adding more technology, expanding training on drones, acknowledging they didn't work at butler. even robotic dogs that can detect body heat of unseen perpetrators, and moving target dummies simulate attacks. but the director says their training center needs more. >> the challenge that we have here is we don't have a realistic training environment for the most famous address in the world. >> reporter: agents have traveled to tyler perry's studio replica of the white house for training. rowe insists they need their own to meet the real world security demands. kelly o'donnell, nbc news at the secret service training center. there is a lot more ahead. in 60 seconds, the new details about the death of one direction singer liam payne. the 911 call, the initial autopsy

results and his former band mates speaking out. you were preventing migraine with qulipta®? remember the pain? cancelled plans? the worry? that was then. and look at me now. you'll never truly forget migraine. but qulipta® reduces attacks, making zero-migraine days possible. it's the only pill of its kind that blocks cgrp - and is approved to prevent migraine of any frequency. to help give you that forget-you-get migraine feeling. don't take if allergic to qulipta®. most common side effects are nausea, constipation, and sleepiness. learn how abbvie could help you save. qulipta®. the forget-you-get migraine medicine™. if you struggle. and struggle. and struggle with cpap. you should check out inspire. no mask. no hose. just sleep. learn more and view important safety information at inspiresleep.com oh... stuffed up again? so congested! you need sinex saline from vicks. just sinex, breathe, ahhhh! what is — wow! sinex. breathe. ahhhhhh!

we are learning new details about one direction star liam payne's final moments before falling to his death from a hotel balcony. and tonight his former bandmates giving their first public reaction. here is chloe melas. >> reporter: tonight, authorities are investigating what led to the death of music superstar liam payne. ♪ because what makes you beautiful ♪ >> reporter: payne one of the members of the boy band sensation one direction, was found dead wednesday after falling off a third floor balcony at this buenos aires hotel. local authorities say that the tragic end came minutes after the hotel called 911. in an audio recording obtained by telemundo from local media, a hotel employee says a guest had overindulged on drugs and alcohol and was tearing up his room. adding "we are a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening." in an initial autopsy

found that he died on impact as a result of multiple traumatic injuries and internal and external bleeding, and that payne could have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness. although a toxicology screening has been requested, authorities revealed that a series of substances were seized from payne's hotel room. telemundo obtaining these photos showing a chaotic scene. >> i'm in shock. ♪♪ >> reporter: in the hours after payne's death, devastated fans held a vigil in front of the hotel. tragically, payne leaves behind his 7-year-old son bear whom he shared with his ex, uk pop singer cheryl cole. tonight his one direction band mates speaking out for the first time, saying they are completely devastated, adding we will miss him terribly. we love you, liam. chloe melas, nbc news. and up next here tonight, protecting kids from extortion online. do new measures from one of the biggest social media companies go far enough? do new measue fos r people who feel limited

by the unpredictability of generalized myasthenia gravis and who are anti-achr antibody positive, season to season, ultomiris is continuous symptom control, with improvement in activities of daily living. it is reduced muscle weakness. and ultomiris is the only long-acting gmg treatment with the freedom of just 6 to 7 infusions per year, for a predictable routine i can count on. ultomiris can lower your immune system's ability to fight infections, increasing your chance of serious meningococcal infections, which may become life-threatening or fatal, and other types of infections. complete or update meningococcal vaccines at least 2 weeks before starting ultomiris. if ultomiris is urgent, you should also receive antibiotics with your vaccines. before starting ultomiris, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions and medications. ultomiris can cause reactions such as back pain, tiredness, dizziness, limb discomfort, or bad taste. ultomiris is moving forward with continuous symptom control. ask your neurologist about starting ultomiris. gum problems could be the start of a domino effect

parodontax active gum repair breath freshener clinically proven to help reverse the 4 signs of early gum disease a toothpaste from parodontax, the gum experts. (♪♪) (♪♪) (♪♪) start your day with nature made. and try new zero sugar gummies. [thinking] someone smells "too fresh." did she take my old spice total body deodorant with 24/7 freshness and use it on her pits? toes? and down below's? how could you? ♪ (old spice whistle) ♪ [achoo!] needs, alka seltzer plus cold & flu when speed is what you need, bounce back fast with alka seltzer plus. also try the new chewable fizzy chews. no water needed.

money is tight, so we must make sacrifices. i give up my bespoke shaving subscription. also try the new chewable fizzy chews. and i'll stop ordering everything that's trending on instagram. and i will no longer agree to the add-ons at the oil change place just because the mechanic called me "ma'am." it really is a top-of-the-line filter, ma'am. and of course, we'll downgrade our insurance -to get a lower rate. -well, you know, you don't have to make sacrifices now that you're saving money with the progressive home and auto bundle. you couldn't have said that like 6 seconds ago? san francisco is in crisis and we need real experienced leadership. we need mark farrell. our interim mayor who got things done. who showed we can clear tent encampments, fight crime, and address the drug crisis. who will make the tough choices for our city's future. "i'm mark farrell. i'm running for mayor because san francisco deserves better." "i'm ready to deliver that change on day one." mark farrell. a proven leader with the experience we need.

back now with a new announcement from meta aimed at protecting teens from blackmail on its widely popular app instagram. savannah sellers reports on our series "kids under pressure." >> reporter: meta unveiling new protections on instagram to combat sextortion. that's when a criminal coerces someone into sending explicit images and then threatens to spread them unless they're paid.

>> here's how to take control of the situation if you need help. >> reporter: the company placing this psa in instagram feeds and launching new features to protect against the accounts with, quote, scammy behavior. meta says it will make it harder for suspicious accounts to request to follow teens, and users will be notified if the account they're messaging with is in another country. antigone davis is head of safety at global meta. >> this crime has evolved. this is why we think it's so important to educate people in this area. >> reporter: are these measures being put in place to inform teens that sextortion is happening on the platform or to try to stop it on the platform in the first place? >> first and foremost, we want to stop it on the platform. but it's both. we want to make sure that teens have the information that they need because these are adversarial actors. they're going to try to get around protections we put in place. >> reporter: that sounds like an acknowledgment that meta does not have handle on it. >> no. what i would say is we've put in place built-in protections, but we're dealing with adversarial criminal actors. >> reporter: criminal actors targeting

american teens. savannah seller, nbc news, new york. coming up, come with us to times square as it goes from tourist haven to megawatt art gallery at the stroke of midnight. haven when my doctor gave me breztri for my copd... things changed for me. breztri gave me... better breathing, symptom improvement, and reduced flare-ups. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain... mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating,... vision changes, or eye pain occur. ask your doctor about breztri. whoa! how'd you get your teeth so white?

you gotta use the right toothpaste! dr. c?! ♪♪ not all toothpastes whiten the same. crest 3d white removes 100% more stains for a noticeably whiter smile. new personal best. crest. weathertech products are designed and manufactured in america using only american raw materials. most competitors make things seven thousand miles away... and then wonder why they don't fit. with weathertech in your vehicle you may hear angels singing as you marvel, how do they do it? simple. american technology and american workers deliver quality... not imported junk for a few bucks less. get the gold standard in floorliners and support america. find your fit at wt.com life, diabetes, there's no slowing down. each day is a unique blend of people to see and things to do. that's why you choose glucerna to help manage blood sugar response. uniquely designed with carbsteady. glucerna. bring on the day. donald trump handpicked his white house team.

now, the people who knew him best say he's too unstable to lead. here's his national security advisor: “donald trump will cause a lot of damage.” and his defense secretary: “do you think trump can be trusted with the nation's secrets ever again?” “no. i mean, it's just irresponsible action that places our service members at risk, places our nation's security at risk.” take it from the people who knew him best. donald trump is too big a risk for america. i'm kamala harris and i approve this message. my hair was thinning all around my hairline. my dermatologist recommended nutrafol. it's 100 % drug—free and clinically tested. my hair is longer, thicker. nutrafol is life—changing for me. get growing at nutrafol.com. my moderate to severe crohn's symptoms kept me out of the picture. with skyrizi,... ...feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks. many people were in remission at 12 weeks, 1 year,... ...and even at 2 years. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections... ...or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms,

had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease or uc. ask your gastroenterologist... ...about skyrizi. ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ now approved for uc. finally, every year millions and millions of people descend on times square, but most never see it quite like this, as a neon art gallery. emilie ikeda with the good news tonight.

>> reporter: it's one of the most famous places in the world, times square, with some 300,000 daily visitors and a dizzying display of billboards you can see from space. but 364 nights a year, there is a synchronized surprise for the city that never sleeps. we're in the final moments of the day, which means the clock is quite literally counting down to a total transformation of times square's more than 90 billboards. and look at that. how magical is this? from 11:57 until midnight, digital art dances across the massive screens in what's called midnight moment. >> it's got to be one of the most monumental secrets hiding in plain sight. >> reporter: jane cooney oversees the public art program. from eye-popping color gradients to larger than life blossoms, every month a different artist takes over this one-of-a-kind canvas. >> almost as though time is slowing down. it's really hard to alter the energy of

times square in any way. and midnight moment really does that. >> reporter: some accidentally stumble upon the spectacular show while others seek it out. >> so i heard about it on tiktok. and i absolutely loved it. it was awesome. >> art kind of brings you into the moment. it was kind of cool to share it with all these people. >> reporter: the billboards are owned by different companies that donate the time each night. >> it's really a people-powered program. it's people making decisions to say yes to the same thing all at once, put on a really incredible show. >> reporter: in the name of public art? >> in the name of public art. >> reporter: emilie ikeda, nbc news, new york. >> what a terrific idea. that is "nightly news" for this thursday. thank you for watching. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night, everyone.

the city hall insiders spend record high budgets. but our problems get worse. they say this is the best that we can do. they blame the system, but they built the system. i have a plan to change it. with accountability and rooting out corruption, we can tackle our housing and drug crisis, clear the tent encampments and bring our businesses back. are you ready to stop settling and start demanding more? join me in changing city hall. flipping the switch on thousands of customers as dangerous fire weather hits the bay area. good afternoon. i'm audrey asistio. welcome to nbc bay area news at 4:30. our cinthia